In the game of texas holdem, it is necessary that the pots have some money to start off the betting. Therefore the players start the betting even before a single card is dealt. If it wasn’t for the compulsory betting, the players would have waited for the best cards and would have then placed the bets which is not the best thing to do.

Also, it would have made the pot limit games difficult in starting off. There are two ways used to bring in some pot money even before the game starts and the deal is dealt. This is done thorough Ante and Blinds. Let’s look at each of this in detail.

Antes

There is a set amount put into the pot by each player even before the cards are dealt and this is called the Ante. Antes are not prevalent in Holdem and are more primarily used in the five card stud or draw. Unlike blinds, Antes do not count towards the first round of betting. Its used more in home games and the pot amount is used in the later stage of the game just as in Holdem.

Blinds

Blind is what is followed in Holdem. Blind is again a bet which is placed even before the cards are dealt. There are two types of blinds, the small and the big blind. The player immediately next to the one who has the dealer button starts the first blind. First player posts the small blind and the next player has to post the big blind.

Posting blind is mandatory and as the dealer button moves round the table the players posting the blinds too change. Unlike in many other games, blinds count toward the total investment towards the first round of betting. In a situation where the pot is raised pre-flop, the player who posted the small blind will only have to put in another half to call.

The big blind need not put anything but the player who posted the big blind will have the choice to raise his own blind. In fixed limit poker, the big blind can be posted equal to the small limit and the small blind is half of the limit.

Blinds and Antes in Tournaments

In most of the Holdem tournaments, Blinds/Antes are structured in such a way that it goes up after a specific period. This is called the escalation. Usually when the player proceed to the next level, the blind double up or moves close to it.

In few of the tournaments the big and the small blind start at the same amount and in the next round the big blind doubles up. You don’t need to be too worried about when the blinds are going up however you need to be aware of the format. Every time the blinds go up, the players are communicated the same. This will make sure that the players know the blinds go up and what the amount would be.